Nightmares in Wonderland: Alice's Return
by Icy Metal and Frost Blue Roses
Summary: A lot can change in six years and that's a fact. For Alice, that means having a daughter and dealing with the Mad Hatter's escape from prison. When he comes and kidnaps Jessica, it leaves Alice no other choice but to return to Wonderland. What's more, Hatter may be the father. It's essential to read the prequel "Nightmares in Wonderland" to understand what's going on. Alice/Hatter
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: I'm baaaack! Thank you guys so much for sticking with "**_**Nightmares in Wonderland**_**" and as a reward for keeping with this, I thought I'd go on to write a sequel for it since you all liked it so much! Enjoy! For those of you who haven't read "**_**Nightmares in Wonderland**_**", you need to read it to be able to understand what's going on here.**

**Disclaimer: You all know the drill by now that I don't own "**_**Alice in Wonderland**_**" or anything, I'm just a fan of it and own the plot to this story and any OC's you happen to find here. Also, the song "**_**Tea Party**_**" belongs to Kerli, I'm just borrowing the lyrics for this chapter.**

**Leave me a review and like this story 'cause it's gonna get interesting in the chapters to come! ;)**

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Prologue

(_Flashback: Six years ago_)

The feeling of hitting hard ground stunned me as I picked myself off the asphalt and looked around in a daze, attempting to figure out where I was since traveling by Looking Glass is so random. Spying a street sign on the corner, it read Seventh Avenue and Main Street, giving me a sense of familiarity and froze, horror creeping up my spine at the sound of the Hatter's disoriented moaning. Turning in the direction I heard the moan to make sure I heard correctly and hoping I was wrong, there he was, sprawled out on the ground in a disorderly heap. I yelped in fear and ran, hoping I would get far enough ahead of him to get help.

That hope was short lived, however, as strong hands came down on me and forced me to turn around to look into the Hatter's unnaturally yellow eyes. Thrashing around in his grasp did no good in trying to escape him and I was reduced to the only thing I could do: I screamed. The sound was like it always was when the Mad Hatter riled me to bring forth the hidden power I had in my vocals: loud and ear splitting. My scream was loud enough I got the attention of everyone as they ran toward the sound to find out what was going on before the Hatter held a gloved hand over my mouth and guided me to an alleyway out of sight of the bystanders alerted to the scream for help.

"That's a cute trick you got there, Cricket, but I'm not done with you yet," he whispered menacingly, and I retaliated by biting his hand, pushing him away as hard as I could, and running for the entrance of the alley and into another man's arms. The man looked down at me in bewilderment as I clung to him as if my life depended on him. "Save me!" I cried, tears of utter fear and terror streaming freely down my face as I glanced over my shoulder at the Hatter as he slowly made his way to me.

"Freeze!"

The sudden shout startled us as cops ran for us and tackled Hatter to the ground. Momentarily stunned at the police officers' appearance, I looked down the way they had come to see there was in fact a police station nearby. _Thank you, God_, I thought thankfully, closing my eyes and leaned against the man in relief knowing that my suffering at the Hatter's hands was finally over.

A tap on my shoulder made me flinch and I looked up to a female officer as she offered me a reassuring smile. "Are you okay, sweetheart?" the woman asked me, a tone I'm familiarize with the one my mother used to soothe me when I was a child. I shook my head and wiped at my eyes, reluctantly letting go of the man I had clung to as she took my hand and led me to the station a few blocks away with the other policemen that arrested Hatter in tow.

The whole night consisted of questions being asked and pictures being taken to record the damage done from my 'tattoos' to the bruises and gashes on my body from the last scuffle I got mixed in with Hatter before falling through the Looking Glass with Hatter hot on my heels. I answered all their questions but left out Wonderland and twisted certain facts around to sound more believable.

"Yeah, man, it's definitely her," one of the cops whispered, nodding his head at me.

"How can you be sure?" the second man whispered.

"She disappeared with that whack job and she showed up tonight with him. It's the same girl," the first answered back.

I tried to ignore the stares of the people in the station, but I found I couldn't, feeling as though they were all going to treat me as the Hatter did. Looking up as a young man took a seat beside me, I asked, "Where am I?" "Hollywood, California," he replied, quirking an eyebrow at me in a silent question as to how I didn't know that. "I've been running blind lately, y'know? That's kinda how it is when you're running from a psychopath that wants to be your friend one moment and beat you till you're unconscious or close to it the next," I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

The next morning, I was put on a plane back to my home state of Georgia and from the moment I was reunited with my parents I steadfastly refused to leave them for two months, going so far as to sleep in their room with them in their room and locking the door before going to sleep for fear of Hatter breaking in and kidnapping me again.

(Now)

I sighed, staring at myself in the mirror as I took in the 'tattoo' of a top hat o my right cheek and reached up to rub it absentmindedly, wincing at the memory of how I had gotten it. Glancing over my appearance in worry, I fussed with a lock of hair that refused to stay out of my face and tucked it behind my ear and sighed again.

Since I had returned home (or Aboveland, as the Hatter and everyone else in Wonderland called it), I had to be trained to be able to leave my parents' sides without spazzing out again since my escapades in Wonderland and encouraged to do things without them watching me. One thing that Mom particularly encouraged me to do was dance and that is exactly what I did. I personally don't think I've done that good with it, contrary to what the instructor, Ms. Anne, tells me.

Tonight, the instructor told us we were to do separate dance routines with our own choice of song and I had picked a song I found particularly catchy during my time in Wonderland and suited where I was most of my time when it wasn't spent ripping the Hatter a new one or getting demeaned or beaten by him.

The announcement of the showcase with separate routines was a week ago and we were required to have costumes for it and I immediately set out to find what I needed to pull off the Hatter's angsty/emo/Goth look he had going on. The hardest part of my outfit to procure was the hat and jacket of the same style, but when I found a place that sold them, it made the search worth it.

"Alice! That dude broke out!"

I jumped in surprise of the proclamation and turned to face the redhead standing behind me. "What are you talking about, Fia?" I asked her, looking up at the girl. "He broke out of prison! That weirdo that kidnapped you!" the other girl clarified, making my heart stop in fear, knowing that he would be coming for me and then drag me kicking and screaming back to Wonderland with him. "How?" was the only word I could think to say.

"I don't know. And neither do the people in the prison he broke out of," Fia replied shrugging, knowing she had put me on edge the moment she said 'Hatter broke out of prison'.

"Have they found him yet?" I asked, hoping they have.

"No, but I bet they'll get him soon. This guy must've been arrested before 'cause he's gone completely off the grid," she said slowly, knowing what she's saying isn't what I wanted to hear at all.

"Ladies, five minutes till curtain," Ms. Anne called out, temporarily distracting me from my companion. "There's no business like show business," Fia mused, nudging me with her elbow before walking off to continue getting ready for her performance. "How true that is," I said to myself, giggling at the memory of Jack introducing me to that phrase even though that good memory is surrounded by bad ones.

"Ready, Alice?"

Knowing that voice anywhere, I resisted rolling my eyes and groaning out loud at the voice's owner, Kristy Carson. "What do you want, Kristy? Can't you see I'm busy fretting over my kidnapper breaking out of prison?" I sighed in annoyance, turning around to face the girl and her entourage of three other girls. She took a moment to look over my outfit and sneered. "Looks like something I would wear for Halloween. Is black the new blue, Liddell?" she asked me, reaching over and knocking my hat off my head.

"Hey!" I cried, getting up and delivering a slap across her face in retaliation.

"Girls! That's enough," Ms. Anne said forcefully, getting between us. "Separate," she ordered, pointing in the opposite direction the others came. Watching as the girls left, the instructor shook her head and turned to me. "What was that about, Alice?" Ms. Anne asked me. "I just found out the guy that kidnapped me broke out," I moaned, bending down to pick up my wayward hat. "How did that happen?" she asked, interested by the new goings on in the world. "I don't know, but I _do_ know Hatter's going to be making an appearance in the near future to make an attempt at kidnapping me again," I replied, anxious at the turn of events and the imminent return of the Mad Hatter into my life.

"Look, I know you're scared, but you have to be strong. You have to show him you're not afraid of him if he makes an appearance and stay with your friends. Kidnappers don't usually take a person when they're around other people," Ms. Anne said, draping an arm around my shoulder. "Hatter took me and we were surrounded by people. He didn't care who saw us, all he cared about was getting me out of the building with him."

"Let's worry about it later. Right now, try to just focus on your routine and what matters in your life," Ms. Anne sighed, getting up to leave. Even though Ms. Anne was trying to help soothe my mind, I still couldn't help but feel shaken at the turn of events in the past few years of my life since Hatter was thrown in the madhouse after being deemed mentally unstable by authorities (which is really no surprise to me) and the birth of my daughter. Still to this day, I don't know how he got me pregnant when he never touched me like that even though we shared a number of kisses and hugs when I thought he was another man named Ryan.

"Hi, Mommy!"

Speak of the devil.

"Hey, sweetheart," I called, smiling as a young brunette at the ripe old age of six years skipped into sight with a bouquet of flowers in hand. "What'cha got there?" I asked her, giving the girl a hug. "They're flowers for you!" she exclaimed, setting the flowers down to give me a proper hug. "That's so sweet of you! Did Grandpa send you back with them, Jessica?" I said, getting out of my seat when the instructor called my name.

"That's my cue, baby girl. Why don't you take the flowers and hold them for me while I'm out there?" I said, tousling the child's hair and strode off to the stage.

(Hatter's POV)

"Damn Abovelandians thinking they can actually hold me in that hellhole. I mean, really! If they were going to throw me in prison, why couldn't they put me close to my Cricket?" I muttered, walking down the street to Alice's old house. Stopping at the front door, I glanced around to make sure no one was around to see me before I went for the hide-a-key under the mat to let myself in. The room was just as it was six years ago, but with a few added features like a number of toys strewn about on the floor and raised an eyebrow in questioning.

Choosing to ignore it for now, I headed for the kitchen and looked over the fridge, my eyes widening considerably at pictures of a pregnant Alice and even more pictures of a baby girl with bright green eyes and brown hair. Looking over the refrigerator door, I took note of the drawings, most likely the work of the young girl, and nearly fainted at the one picture of Alice and the child alongside a flyer for a dance studio with today's date on it. Removing the magnet holding the ad in place, I glanced over the images of girls covering it, but only one girl in the advertisement caught my attention. _Alice_.

_Alice took up dance? This should be good_, I thought, smiling satisfactorily as I folded the paper and took the picture of Alice and the little girl and pocketed them both before leaving for the studio, eager to see my little Cricket again and to find out who the child is.

(Alice's POV)

Taking a seat on the edge of the table set up on the stage for my performance, I struck a sort of seductive pose and counted the beats in my head as the rhythm picked up before starting the routine. The mid tempo beat of the song started up, I responded in kind by pushing off the table to move to center stage.

Though I seemed calm and relaxed as I danced, my mind was in turmoil with thoughts ranging from the Hatter and Wonderland to Jessica and her safety, knowing how the Hatter's temper is when set off. If the abuse I suffered at his hands is punishment for a simple sentence, I cringe to think about what it would be like if something was said to the Hatter in pure innocence, unaware of the sheer rage and madness pent up inside him.

I shoved those thoughts aside for later, knowing if I kept on them it would prevent me from finishing the dance routine. Putting a little more hip into it than necessary, the boys in the audience responded with whistles and cheers of their approval, prompting me to add more energy into it as I strutted, flaunted, and swayed my body in time to the beat of the song.

_Welcome to the Tea Party  
Want to be my VIP?  
You didn't RSVP  
That's ok, that's ok  
Welcome to the Tea Party  
Want to be my VIP?  
When I'm all steamed up, hear me shout  
Tip me over and pour me out_

I know this night is like no other  
You're not just another

I know it's only getting better  
As long as we're together

I know this night is like no other  
You're not just another

Welcome to the Tea Party  
Want to be my VIP?  
You didn't RSVP  
That's ok, that's ok  
Welcome to the Tea Party  
Want to be my VIP?  
When I'm all steamed up, hear me shout  
Tip me over and pour me out

As the song came to an end, I strutted back to the table and assumed the pose I struck before it started, catching sight of Kristy and her friends gawking at me on the far side of the stage and discreetly held my middle finger up when I tipped my hat over my eyes as the final notes of the song played. Exiting the stage, I was met with wild cheering, mostly from the boys, and smiled satisfactorily at being met by my parents and Jessica.

"You did so good, Cricket!" Dad cheered, taking me into a hug. What Dad didn't know was the moment he said 'Cricket', my mind was sent to Wonderland and the Hatter's face flashed across my mind's eye. I frowned at this, but tried to push it aside and put on a smile for them.

"Hello, one and all!"

Turning to face the man that had spoken, I smiled and greeted him with a hug. "Hey, Jack. Long time, no see," I said.

"Yeah. So how's every little thing?" he replied. I frowned and glanced back to my parents a moment to see if they were listening in before whispering, "Have you heard from the Hatter lately?"

"No. Why? What happened?" he replied, his interest piqued at the question. "He broke out of prison's what he did and the authorities can't find him anywhere. I suspect he's going to be coming for me," I answered. "Well, I haven't seen hide nor hair of him in Wonderland, so he either might not have returned and looking for a way into Wonderland but hasn't found one yet or he's looking for you, but I'll keep an eye out for him," Jack said, reaching down to pick up Jessica.

(Hatter's POV)

I had walked in just in time to see Alice's performance and it would've been the understatement of the century if I said she was a good dancer. It also surprised me to see she had knocked off my appearance for the routine. Never in all my life had I thought she could dance like that, sending me into a trance as she performed.

When the song ended and she exited the stage, I joined in with the other boys in cheering her on, hoping to catch her alone soon. Slipping back outside, I waited for the blonde to make an appearance, watching the door intently and scanning over the faces of woman that emerged from the structure. For a few minutes I couldn't see through the crowds of people until the little girl from the picture appeared from out of the crowd with Alice and her parents in tow.

"It's about time they showed up!" I said, starting my way over to where they stood talking amongst themselves before a hand came down on my shoulder.

"Long time, no see, Hat Man," Jack's voice said, turning me around to face him.

"Jack, come on. I just wanna talk to her," I protested, removing myself from his grasp.

"I know you do, but leave her alone. She's been through enough," the rabbit-boy said. Nodding my head in the direction of the child in Alice's arms, I asked, "And who is that little ray of sunshine?"

"The child is none of your business, Brian. I don't know how or why, but that child is somehow your doing," he said venomously. I blanched. "That child is mine?" I asked incredulously, my eyes not leaving the little girl.

"I don't know, but she has your eyes," Jack sighed and walked away with me in tow.

(Jessica's POV)

Sprawling out in the middle of the floor in my room, I held my stuffed rabbit close and thought on the stories Mom had told me about a magical world inside a rabbit hole and on the other side of the looking glass. When my mind got to thinking on that, I looked up at the mirror hanging on my door and walked over to it. The mirror took up almost the entire door and approaching the reflective surface, I jumped at seeing a man no older than my mom with ebony hair and emerald green eyes watching me in the glass.

I stared for a moment, stunned before letting out a scream and ran out of the room. "Mommy! There's a man in my mirror!" I screamed, running into the living room and scrambling into her lap. The woman looked own at me with curious blue eyes and said, "Slow down, there, Teacup. What happened?" "There's a man in my mirror!" I said frantically, pointing toward the staircase that led to my room on the second floor. Glancing in the indicated direction, she said, "Hon, those were just stories, but if it will make you feel better, I can go in there and turn the mirror around." I nodded, scooching off her lap to follow her up to my bedroom.

Peering into the room from around the doorpost, I watched as the older blonde investigate the mirror, she gently lifted it and turned it over to where the reflective side faces the door and looked to me and smiled. "Well, sweetie, I didn't see anyone in the looking glass other than myself," Mom said, walking out of the room, ruffling my hair as she passed. I hardly paid attention though, my eyes still glued to the mirror.

"I swear I saw someone though..." I murmured, turning and walking away, more than eager to get my mind off what I saw and get my mind on other things like what's most important in life (the life of a six year old girl, anyway) like what I feel like eating and what I want to do to entertain myself.

(Alice's POV)

Closing and locking the door behind me, I watched the Looking Glass hanging up in my room with a mixture of interest and anxiety, murmuring, "It's official. The Mad Hatter's back in Wonderland."


	2. Chapter 1: Jessica in Wonderland

**Author's Note: I'm back with another chapter! Leave me a review! Leave me a review! Leave me a review! Please?**

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Chapter One: Jessica in Wonderland

"I swear with the way those people had me locked down, I thought I would never see this place again," I said happily, walking through the front door of my home.

"What were you thinking, Brian?! Do you have any idea how many people up there want you locked away? Alice's father is a former cop and his friends are the higher ups in the law enforcement! If you make a move on her, they'll handcuff you faster than you can blink!" Jack chastised me, delivering a slap to the back of my head.

"Gimme a break. I just wanted to talk. You seem very adamant about me staying away from the kid, but that doesn't change the fact I want to know who she is, Jack," I said, getting caught off guard by Chip pummeling me to the ground like he always did when he greeted me.

"Look at you, shorty. You got big. Jack, I _told_ you to stop feeding him that cake that makes him grow!" I laughed, pushing him off. "I told you to stop calling me that!" he whined childishly before taking something out of his mouth and tried to stick it in my hair. "Chip, I swear if you put that in my hair, there _will_ be hell to pay!" I cried, flipping us over so I was on top of him and pinned his hands to the ground. "Still on the bubblegum kick, I see," I observed, pushing myself off the ground and wandered into the kitchen.

"At least tell me her name," I sighed, taking a seat at the table.

"I'm not telling you anything. If I do, you'll do the same thing to her as you did to Alice," Jack said defiantly. I scowled. "Jack, she's a little girl. Did I ever lay an offensive hand on Alice when she was that young? I think not," I said, insulted my friend would accuse me of such a thing.

"But you did it to Alice after ten years of not seeing her," Chip pointed out.

"Not helping!" I muttered, getting up and leaving for my old bedroom. Closing and locking the door behind me, I went to the floor length Looking Glass in the corner of the room. Gently reaching out to touch it, the Glass rippled like water within the frame and my reflection disappeared only to be replaced with a view of a little girl's bedroom. For a moment, all I could see was the wall opposite until the young girl from earlier today with Alice's old stuffed rabbit tucked under her arm stepped in front of the Glass. She stopped dead in her tracks, clearly startled to see me at all before she let out a sharp, high pitched scream and ran out of the room, amusing me when her scared voice rang out, "Mommy! There's a man in my mirror!" I stood there for a minute to see if she would return, but the Glass faded back to show my reflection, but that didn't stop me from hearing Alice's voice saying, "Well, sweetie, I didn't see anyone in the looking glass other than myself."

"Don't even think about it, Brian," Jack warned, getting me to look at the door from over my shoulder and scowled. Even though he can't see me, the March Hare always seemed to know exactly what I was up to when left to my own devices. It was more than likely a sixth sense he developed since we became friends when we were children.

"I wasn't going to do anything!" I protested, annoyed with the rabbit-boy outside my door. No matter, then. I guess I'll just have to wait to get the child alone with me.

(Alice's POV)

Settling down in bed for the night, I smiled lightly at the small form curled up under the blankets and pulled her close. The little one responded by snuggling up next to me. I smiled and brushed the bangs out of Jessica's face lovingly and kissed her head. "Sweet girl," I murmured before falling asleep.

(Jessica's POV)

Waking up at the sound of the door opening, I looked up to find a man's silhouette in the doorway and mumbled, "Grandpa? Is that you?" The man didn't respond, moving closer to the bed and crooked a finger at me to follow and I obeyed, grabbing my stuffed rabbit and crawled out of bed to follow him into the hallway.

"Grandpa...?" I tried again, gasping when he lunged for me and pressed a cloth to my face, passing out in his arms.

(Hatter's POV)

I smiled at the small girl in my arms and pulled her close, bending over to pick up her toy and headed back down the hall to her bedroom to the Looking Glass that I managed to get myself through even though it had been reversed to block my entry. Shifting her weight in my grasp, I flipped the mirror around and passed through it, scowling when the Looking Glass dropped us in the middle of the woods.

"Really, now?" I sighed, annoyed with the sheer randomness of the Looking Glass, but started the long trek back to my home. It was a good while into the walk until the child started squirming in my arms and let out a soft moan, signaling the effects of chloroform had worn off. Looking down at the child, I smiled softly when her emerald eyes fluttered open and clumsily rubbed at them to shake off the sleep a moment before her gaze fell on me. We stared at each other a moment before the small child issued a sharp, high pitched scream that almost made me drop her in my surprise as she pushed herself away when my grip on her loosened from the scare and the moment her feet touched the ground, she ran, disappearing into the brush.

"Come on! Hey! Girl, come back!" I called after her, taking off in the direction she went. The kid is smart, I'll grant her that. The forest is filled with many different nooks and crannies a person small enough could crawl into or under, which made me groan loudly and start looking for her, hoping I could find her before some animal could.

(Alice's POV)

Waking up that morning to find Jessica not there, I sighed and rolled out of bed, knowing she was more than likely eating breakfast by now. Moving downstairs into the kitchen to find the brunette isn't there, I asked, "Hey, Mom, have you seen Jessica?"

"No. Last I checked, she was sleeping in your room. Maybe she got a head start and is in her room playing," the older woman said, sending me on my way back upstairs to the young girl's room. Knocking lightly on the door, I called out, "Jessica? You in there, Teacup?"

No response.

I frowned and opened the door, my eyes widening considerably and let out a scream of horror, alerting my parents. "Alice! What happened? We heard you scream and..." Mom trailed off, a hand going to her mouth to stifle a gasp of terror of the words "_If you want her, come get her. I'll be waiting._" written in red paint on the wall opposite alongside the Looking Glass that had been turned over.

"Charles, call the police!" Mom cried, bringing me into a hug as tears came to my eyes in fear, knowing just who has my daughter.

(Jack's POV)

Walking down the street to Alice's home, I frowned at seeing police cruisers parked outside the household and didn't hesitate to walk inside to find Alice in tears sitting on the couch. When she looked up and noticed me, she got up and took my arm to lead me into the kitchen and said, "Jessica's missing!"

"What? When did this happen?" I asked, surprised at the turn of events.

"I don't know. Maybe it happened late at night when everyone was asleep, but I think Hatter did this," the blonde said in between gasping for air from her fit.

"Alice, come with me. I'll help you get her back," I said, guiding her towards the stairs to Jessica's bedroom.

"No, Jack. I'm going to get her myself and I assure you it's the last time Hatter will ever make a mistake like this. He thought I was bad before, but now I'm pissed and he's going to regret it big time," she said venomously, making me cringe at what's in store for the hatmaker when Alice finds him.

"I'm gonna go ahead to see where he's at while you finish up here," I said, wasting no time in passing through the Glass into Wonderland. The entire time I spent running toward the Mad Tea Party, a thought occurred to me and I took an abrupt right along the path, heading for White's home.

"White! Open the door!" I shouted, pounding on the door. I paused, waiting a few moments before issuing a scream and shouting, "I'm hit! Help me, Jesus! I'm dying!" Abruptly, the door swung open and made me fall forward into the house.

"What do you want, Jack?" he asked irritably.

"We have a problem. Remember that incident when we smuggled Alice out of Wonderland six years ago?" I asked, looking up to see if he was genuinely interested. He nodded. "Alice had a baby girl and Hatter is Wonderland knows where with her doing who knows what!" I cried, getting White's ears to perk a bit with interest.

"A baby? Who's kid is she? Not the Hatter's, I hope," he said, pulling me to my feet.

"Thing is, we don't know who the father is, but I suspect he is," I replied, getting rewarded with White shaking his head before saying, "Go ahead and find Hatter and keep an eye on him. I don't want a repeat of what he did with Alice. Whatever you do, keep the girl safe," he said, kicking me out with something to try and focus on and ran the entire way back to the house.

(Jessica's POV)

Pressing my back against the rock that made up my hiding place, I watched as the ebony haired man walked all over the place in front of my hiding spot, but he didn't seem to notice me at all. After what felt like eternity, he seemed to give up and left, only to be replaced by another man with vibrant pink hair and heavy black and white makeup.

I cocked my head to the side in curiosity of him and froze when he looked in my direction and seemed to catch sight of me. He smiled and drew closer to my hiding place, crouching down to my level.

"Hi there," he said.

"..."

"Come on out. I'm not gonna hurt you," he coaxed, offering a gentle smile and extended his hand into the opening for me to take.

"Mommy says I shouldn't talk to strangers," I said finally, getting rewarded with a laugh from him.

"My name is Hatter. There, see? I'm not a stranger anymore," he laughed, backing away from the opening of my hiding spot so I could crawl out. "What's your name?" he asked me.

"Jessica."

"How old are you, Jessica?"

"Six."

"Six years old. What a fun age," he said, playfully tousling my hair before picking me up and setting me on his hip like Mommy always does when she carries me. "Well, my dear, it's high time that we leave this place. I wouldn't want to be stuck out here at night," he said, starting his way back onto the path from before.

"Why? What kinds of animals comes out at night here?" I asked, looking up at him curiously.

"All sorts of dreadful creatures, Jessie. Bandersnatches, for one thing, and if we were to encounter one, I don't have a weapon to fend the beast off," he replied. Not sure how to reply, I nodded my head and decided to take in what I could of our surroundings as he walked. After some time of walking, we arrived at a rundown house in a clearing.

"Who lives here?"

"I do, along with Jack and Chip. Since they come here so often, they pretty much live here," he replied, setting me down so I could walk ahead to investigate.

(Hatter's POV)

I had forgotten just how much fun life can be with a young child around. Jessica had already left me behind to inspect the tea table and occasionally snatching a treat off one of the many plates on its surface. I watched as she scanned the table for a moment longer before she frowned and exclaimed, "There's no cake!"

I laughed. "Would you like to help make one, then, Little Rabbit?" She nodded enthusiastically and ran inside the house. Racing after her, I spotted a flash of a pale green nightgown as she ran around the corner into the kitchen.

"Brian? It's about time you got home. Who's in the kitchen?" a voice said and I froze, turning to face Jack watching me from the entry to his room.

"... Chip is, naturally. Who else would it be?" I lied, closing my eyes and hanging my head in defeat when Jessica ran back after me and took my hand, exclaiming, "Cake now, please!"

"Oh, my God, you didn't," Jack said, a tone coming to his voice that reminded me of Alice when she got mad with me.

"Uncle Jack? What are you doing here? It's not Halloween yet, silly," the child said, regarding the other man happily. My gaze flicked between him and the child as she collided with his leg, demanding to be held.

"Uncle?" I asked incredulously.

He shrugged. "Friend of the family. I visit frequently and she decided I'm her uncle," he sighed, crying out when Jessica grabbed one of his ears and gave it a tug.

"They're real!" she exclaimed, watching them with wonder filled eyes and she touched them again, taking in the feel of the fur that covers the long pieces of skin protruding from the brunette's head. After a moment of watching her observe Jack, she seemed to try and look down his back before she broke into a fit of giggles.

"You have a cotton ball glued to your hiney, Uncle Jack!" she giggled, sending me over the edge in a fit of mad giggling at not only the innocent proclamation regarding the tuft of fur on Jack's arse, but his reaction to the aforementioned proclamation.

"It's not a cotton ball! It's a tail!" Jack cried, offended a little bit at the statement.

"Did Hatter do it to you as a joke, Uncle Jack?" the girl pressed and the man shook his head vigorously.

"Not! A! Cotton ball!" Jack screeched, putting the child down and stalked off. That only made me laugh harder until tears were streaming down my face and my sides ached.

"Oh, wow! You know just what to say to send him into a tizzy, don't you?" I said, finally calming down from my fit.

Jessica shrugged. "I dunno what he's so angry about. All I said is that he had a cotton ball stuck to his pants," she said innocently. I smiled, choosing to leave Jack be for now and escorted the child into the kitchen.

"What sort of cake are we gonna make?" I asked her, my grin turning to a full-fledged smile when Jessica exclaimed, "You made a rhyme!"

"I did. Now, do you want chocolate or vanilla?"

"Vanilla!"

(Alice's POV)

"I'm going to kill him!" I muttered angrily to myself, stalking down the path that would lead me to the Hatter's home. It's the only thing I could think of since I found my daughter was missing.

After a while or so of walking, I finally came across a house and, seeing as I'm in a part of the Tulgey Woods that I'm not familiar with, I made for the front door.

"Alice? What are you doing here?" White's voice rang out, getting me to turn around to find the rabbit-boy hybrid walking up the path to the door.

"Long time, no see, Mr. Rabbit," I said, calling him by the name I had for him when I was Jessica's age.

"Jack was here a few hours ago and told me you had a kid. Please tell me she isn't the Hatter's child," he said, a tone in his voice begging me to tell him he was right.

"I don't know, but Jessica very well may be. She has the same green eyes," I replied haltingly before jumping to the point of why I'm here and asked, "Could you point me in the direction of the Hatter's home? He has my daughter and I'm not leaving without her."

"Just continue down the path and take a left at the fork in the road and keep going. When you find a second fork in the road, I'm sure you remember which path to take from there," White said, directing me down the path I came from. Thanking him, I continued on my way at a fast pace, eager to get to the nightmare house I was forced to live in for a little over a month and reclaim my daughter.

"Please be okay when I get there," I said to myself, praying to God Hatter hasn't done anything to harm her.

(Jessica's POV)

Holding out my hands for the Hatter to see, I recoiled when he put a paintbrush on my hands and painted 10/6 on my palms and cheek. "So if you get lost, they'll know who you're supposed to be with," he explained, taking my hand and walking me to the guestroom on the far side of the living room and opened the door for me.

"If you wanna go to town with me, you better get dressed," he said, closing the door behind me. Curious to see the town, I wandered to the bed and found an outfit laid out for me. A pretty white dress with blue lace trimming was laid out on the bed alongside black and white stripped stockings black dress shoes and a black jacket. Quickly pulling on the clothes picked out for me I opened the door and found the Hatter waiting for me at the front door.

"There's something missing," he commented.

Looking over myself briefly, I asked, "What's that?"

"This," he said, reaching into a pocket and producing a small white top hat attached to a headband. Slipping it onto my head, Hatter smiled satisfactorily and nodded. "That's better. Now I can see how pretty you look," he said happily, making me blush and take his hand, ready to leave.

(Hatter's POV)

Situating Jessica on my lap, I steadied her arm as a doctor inserted a needle into the crook of her elbow to draw blood. Jessica whimpered and buried her face in my chest. "It's alright, Little Rabbit. It'll be all over in a minute," I assured her, watching her with adoration.

"You guys know the drill. It's going to be a while before the results are in," the doctor said, jolting in surprise when I set Jessica down and dragged him out of the room by his collar.

"I need the results now!" I said threateningly, tossing the man to the ground.

"It takes time to get it back from the lab! It's out of my hands!"

"I know, but... I'm desperate. I need to know if the child s mine," I said, dropping my voice so that is was just above a whisper.

"I'll let you know when the results are in, but don't get your hopes up," the doctor sighed, turning to walk off down the hallway.

(Alice's POV)

"Hatter! Where are you and where's Jessica?!" I screeched angrily, kicking the front door of the house down. Stalking over to the guestroom, I threw the door open to find nobody there.

"Alice? Is that you?"

"Hey, Chip! Long time, no see!" I said, turning to face the mouse-boy watching me from across the room.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Where's Hatter?"

"He's not here."

"Where is he?"

"I dunno. He left a couple hours or so ago with a kid," he shrugged, taking a seat on the couch.

"Jack! Please tell me that madman didn't kill my daughter!" I said, catching the rabbit-boy walking into the house muttering something to himself.

"It's not a cotton ball!" he cried out, self-consciously reaching around to cover the tuft of fur on his arse.

"I understand that, Jackie boy. Where is the Hatter and more importantly, where's Jessica?" I said, snapping him out of his stupor.

"He should be coming back soon. He has Jessica with him," he said sourly, slamming the door to his room shut behind him.

"I guess I'll have to wait, then," I sighed, crossing my arms across my chest and watched the door. I glared at the door, waiting for the pink haired lunatic to return with my child.

It was twenty minutes later that the Hatter and Jessica finally returned.

"They should be entering the clearing right about now," Chip commented helpfully, watching as I got out of my seat on the couch and flung the door open to see the man and child walking down the dirt path leading to the front door.

"Hatter, you mercury addled lunatic! Give me my daughter back!" I shrieked angrily, storming into the yard and took my daughter in my arms protectively.

"Mommy, guess what! Hatter pulled a prank on Uncle Jack and glued a cotton ball on his hiney!" Jessica giggled, looking up at me with her bright green eyes. I couldn't help but laugh at the innocent proclamation though I was inwardly panicking at the sight of the outfit and miniature top hat my daughter is wearing.

"Why don't you go and try to pull it off Uncle Jack's arse while your mommy and I have a talk," Hatter said lightly, taking the child out of my arms and setting her down, shooing her off to find the rabbit-boy hybrid.

I watched her go, skipping toward the front door, calling Jack's name and waited till the door was closed before turning on the Hatter.

"You said we need to talk. Let's talk."

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long for me to write this! I couldn't get over my writer's block.**


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